1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a docking station. More particularly, the present invention relates to a latch-ejection mechanism of a docking station.
2. Description of Related Art
The main difference between a portable computer and a conventional desktop computer is that the portable computer is featured in “light, thin, short, and small”, for the convenience of taking along and being used in various environments. However, in another aspect, the portable computer is limited to the design requirements of “light, thin, short, and small”, so the functions and expandability thereof cannot be compared with the desktop computer having a large application range.
In view of the above, the conventional technology provides a docking station with a connector. The user may connect computer peripherals, such as a mouse, a printer, an external hard disk drive, a network interface card (NIC), or a scanner to the docking station for a long time. The user when intends to use the peripherals may electrically connect the peripherals to the portable computer as long as connecting the docking station to the portable computer. As such, the user can enjoy not only the compactness of the portable computer, but also the functionality and expandability of the desktop computer without bothering about plugging/removing the peripherals to/from the portable computer through the docking station.
In the conventional docking station, the docking stations are fastened with the portable computer through the engagement of the latches of the docking stations and the slots of the portable computer. When the user pushes a release button to take off the portable computer from the docking station, the force exerted by the user is transferred to the latch through the release button and a transmission element, so as to disengage the latch. Then, the force exerted by the user may be further transferred to another ejection element through the transmission element, thereby withdrawing the portable computer. However, the latch of the conventional docking stations and the ejection element are individual parts, and must be assembled into the docking station during the manufacturing, which is troublesome and costs more assembly time. Comparatively, when the latch or the ejection element is damaged or needs to be replaced, the parts must be detached individually and then replaced by normal parts.